John Giorno on display at the Triennale: between art, poetry and friendship

From March 15 to April 13, 2025, Triennale Milano dedicates an exhibition to John Giorno (New York, 1936 - 2019), a central figure in twentieth-century visual and performance poetry. John Giorno: a labor of LOVE, curated by Nicola Ricciardi with Eleonora Molignani and the support of Giorno Poetry Systems, highlights the value of friendship and collaboration in art through previously unpublished materials from the artist’s archive. A poet, performer and activist, Giorno has spanned sixty years of cultural history, interweaving his research with some of the most influential figures in the art and literary scene. From the Beat Generation to AIDS activism, from Andy Warhol’s Factory to Robert Rauschenberg’s Experiments in Art and Technology, his work has transformed the written and spoken word into an art form capable of engaging with audiences in ever new ways. The exhibition, inspired by the theme among friends of the 29th edition of miart, brings together about one hundred documents made available by Giorno Poetry Systems, the nonprofit organization founded by the artist in 1965 to support poets, musicians and performers. Including letters, contracts, posters, films and rare editions of his books, the exhibition reconstructs Giorno’s connections and collaborations with the likes of William S. Burroughs, John Cage, Allen Ginsberg, Keith Haring, Jasper Johns, Allan Kaprow, Patti Smith and Michael Stipe, in addition to the aforementioned Warhol and Rauschenberg.

The section housed within Cuore - Triennale Milano’s Center for Studies, Archives and Research - allows visitors to explore previously unseen materials, including records produced by the GPS Records label and documents that testify to Giorno’s relationship with some of his closest friends. A special focus is on public poetry events and theAIDS Treatment Project. Prominent among the exhibits is Dial-A-Poem, the project that in 1968 made the voices of poets, artists and musicians available through a simple telephone call. Designed as an interactive experience, the work allowed people to listen to original recordings of poetry readings, transforming telephone communication into a new artistic tool. Now part of MoMA New York’s permanent collection, Dial-A-Poem continues to evolve and will also be accessible to the public at the Triennale, where visitors can listen to some of the original recordings. The installation, designed and curated by Andrea Cassi and Michele Versaci’s EX. studio, is conceived as a flexible space designed to engage both specialized audiences and casual visitors. The goal is to make the exhibition a lively and accessible platform that can bring new generations closer to the figure of Giorno and his artistic legacy.

A special installation on the Triennale’s Scalone d’Onore enhances the link between poetry and visual arts, a central aspect of the artist’s research. Here, a selection of his celebrated Perfect Flowers dialogues with a monumental mural reproducing some of his most iconic poetic phrases, demonstrating how his work managed to transcend the boundaries of the written word to enter the collective imagination through color and material. The exhibition is realized with the support of Fiera Milano, Massimo Giorgetti (MSGM) and Enzo Nembrini (Ecoedile), in line with the curatorial theme of miart 2025, which emphasizes the importance of mutual support between institutions, patrons, artists and curators.

John Giorno on display at the Triennale: between art, poetry and friendship

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